Three Month Review
by LeaveIt
Summary: A one-shot follow-up to Good Intentions. For those who’ve read that story and want to know what Deakins said to them when they got to the end of their three month ‘probation’ after telling him they’d become a couple.


**Three Month Review **

Disclaimer: I don't own Goren, Eames or Deakins – just the story I've put them in.

Summary: A one-shot follow-up to Good Intentions. For those who've read that story and want to know what Deakins said to them when they got to the end of their three month 'probation' after telling him they'd become a couple.

A/N: Just a quick little piece to fill in a blank that my muse just wouldn't let alone.

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"Goren, Eames. My office now." Captain Jimmy Deakins called from his office doorway.

The partners exchanged a worried look. It was 4:30 on the final day of their three-month review period, during which they'd had to try to prove that becoming more closely involved on a personal level would not adversely affect their ability to work together as a team. They both rose from their chairs, making their way across to Deakins' office. They entered the 'lion's den', Alex first, Bobby holding the door open for her then closing it behind them, they each took a seat in the chairs in front of Deakins' desk.

"So, are you two still going ahead with the idea of getting married by the end of the year?" Deakins' asked, his tone businesslike.

"Yes, Captain." Eames replied, slightly surprised at her captain's opening gambit.

"Date set?"

"Yes, Sir." Goren replied this time, feeling a little confused. He had expected Deakins to tell them immediately whether they would be allowed to continue working together, not start out having a chat about their plans for their future together outside of the office. "November 27, the Saturday after Thanksgiving. We only just decided and haven't actually gotten around to telling anyone yet."

"Good, good. I'm glad things are working out for the two of you." Deakins kept his face neutral, not giving any clue as to what he might actually be thinking. "So how do you feel things have gone these past three months?"

Goren and Eames looked at each other, both sure that they'd been successful in keeping things strictly professional during working hours over the three-month period, at least in the office, at the lab or morgue and at crime scenes. They did, however, have to admit to themselves that they had allowed an occasional 'slip' in the privacy of the car but in front of other people they'd kept the 'games faces' securely in place. There had been one overnight stay, when they'd had to go out of state to interview of potential witness and they'd booked only one room at the hotel, but surely Deakins couldn't hold that against them.

Eames was the first to respond to Deakins' question, her tone matching his. "I think things have gone well. We haven't had any problem keeping personal and professional separate. No one's made any comment about our behaviour. So far as I'm aware there hasn't been any change in how we work together, except maybe that we can read each other even better than we could previously."

"And you, Goren."

"The same, Captain. I mean, there have been a few rumours, but nothing more than over the past three years, so I don't think it's anything to do with any change in our behaviour. Like Eames said, we don't have a problem drawing a line between our professional life and our personal relationship." Bobby's face and voice were a study in carefully schooled professionalism.

"So the query I got from the Chief's office regarding the expenses claim for your out of state trip last month was an error?" Deakins raised an eyebrow at his detectives.

Goren covered his mouth with his knuckles, rubbing nervously at his lips. Eames looked Deakins straight in the eye and answered.

"Well, Sir, to be honest, we weren't on duty for the overnight portion of the stay, so our sleeping arrangements shouldn't be any cause for concern to the Department. Besides it's not that unusual for partners to share a room when staying out of town." She fell silent at the flare of annoyance in Deakins' eyes.

"I believe my terms were that you would keep your personal 'arrangements' discrete." Deakins' voice now carried a hint of irritation. "I had to explain to the Chief's Personal Assistant why a mixed sex team was sharing a room."

Luckily Goren's hand was still covering his mouth as his lips twitched, trying not to smile at the thought of Denise's reaction to the news that he and Eames were now a couple, considering one of the reasons for their ceasing to see each other had been her, at the time baseless, jealousy of his close relationship with his partner. Unfortunately he didn't fool his captain.

"You find that amusing, Goren?" Deakins snapped.

Eames shot a quick glare at the big man beside her, whilst managing to keep her own amusement at this particular turn of events concealed.

Goren almost managed to cover an involuntary snort of laughter with a cough. "Sorry, Captain. It's just there's some history …"

Deakins cut him off with a wave of his hand. "So Denise informed me during our conversation." He continued, seemingly less than amused. "Anyhow, I managed to convince the Chief of D's that there's no cause for concern, at least for the time being."

"Thank you, Captain." Eames looked from Goren to Deakins, then asked. "So, where do we go from here? Do we get to continue as partners or are we being reassigned?"

"Well, considering that you almost blew the entire deal when Denise saw that hotel bill, I think you can consider yourselves extremely lucky." Deakins looked from Eames to Goren and back again.

"Meaning?" Both partners spoke at the same moment.

That was it for Deakins, he started to chuckle, his eyes crinkling with laughter as his composure finally gave out.

"Sir?" Goren stared at his captain.

"Captain?" Eames was now having trouble keeping her voice level, torn between anger and laughter as she realised what this meant.

"I'm sorry, guys, but I had to have some fun with this." Deakins managed to compose himself enough to speak again. "You see, a rumour got back to Denise the first week after you two told me about, well, you two. Something about how she was living with Goren and was making threats to have any woman who so much as looked at him fired. Anyway, the Chief heard it as well. You know how he dislikes the idea of his precious PA consorting with 'the ranks'. Anyhow in the course of trying to sort out the mess caused by that rumour, one subject kind of led to another and, well to be honest, the Chief of D's has known about the two of you for nearly as long as I have." He sniggered again at the stunned expression on his detective's faces.

"You mean to tell us we've been trying …" Eames couldn't manage to hold onto her indignation in the face of Deakins renewed laughter, she still did her best to stifle her chuckles.

"We've been trying to keep our relationship under the radar and the Chief's known the entire time?" Goren laughed along with his captain and his partner, relief overwhelming any potential annoyance at the fact Deakins had been playing them almost their entire 'probation'.

"That's about the size of it." Deakins managed to get his amusement under control. "So, on the basis that the Chief has known all this time and still hasn't been able to find fault with your work or your behaviour, I think I can safely say the two of you can remain partners. Afterall, technically the decision is mine, even if the Chief can recommend I separate you."

Deakins' last comment sobered Goren's mood considerably. "Did he make such a recommendation?"

"Actually, he was so relieved you weren't seeing Denise, nevermind living with her, that he said he 'really didn't give a tinker's damn who else you were knocking off'. I think those were his exact words."

After a few more minutes of shared laughter and reassurances to Deakins that he and his family would, indeed, be invited to the wedding in November, Goren and Eames finally exited their captain's office. As per Deakins' final instruction to them before they left his office, they grabbed their personal belongings from their desks and left early. Afterall, they did, yet again, have celebrating to do.

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A/N: Hope you enjoyed. As if I would have allowed Deakins to split them up - mess with their heads a little, certainly - but never split them up. Thanks for reading.


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